Mac Powell grew up in a small town in Alabama. His love for music began at an early age as both of his parents would sing and play guitar around the house. Mac soon began to sing in the local country church by day, and listen to his Dad’s record collection by night.

When Mac was a sophomore in high school, he moved to Atlanta, GA, where his passion for music and faith found an outlet in the band THIRD DAY. Over the past 25 years, THIRD DAY has helped transform Christian music and built a devoted fan base while traveling the world many times over, selling 10 million albums, earning 4 Grammy awards, 1 American Music Award, 24 Dove Awards, and by being inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

Along the way, Mac has been honored to perform in front of millions of fans around the world and play music with some of the best musicians in the industry. Many of these acquaintances both onstage and in the crowd have turned from friends into true family members, and now it’s time for a good old fashioned Family Reunion!

MAC POWELL and the FAMILY REUNION officially started in early 2018 as the next chapter of Mac’s musical journey. The Family Reunion is a band that has developed over the past several years from the musical “brothers” that have been recording and playing live with Mac in support of his first two independent solo projects.

The Southern roots – American rock collections are foot-stompin’, hand clappin’ tunes – clearly pay tribute to the early musical inspirations from his childhood. The live show is a blend of classic and sing along Gospel, Country, and American Rock songs, combined with some Mac’s favorite THIRD DAY numbers that he has written, and his latest original tunes.

The Johnston County Chorus is busy rehearsing for their upcoming spring concert at the Clayton Center. The show will feature more than 60 singers and a live band presenting movie classics through the years. Two shows: a 2 PM matinee and 7 PM.

The Johnston County Chorus is busy rehearsing for their upcoming spring concert at the Clayton Center. The show will feature more than 60 singers and a live band presenting movie classics through the years. Two shows: a 2 PM matinee and 7 PM.

The Clayton Center’s fifth annual Palladian Series Preview and Presale party is Thursday, August 8. A $10 ticket will buy you an evening out AND the chance to purchase individual tickets to shows in the season before they go on sale to the general public.

North Carolina duo Violet Bell will headline the event with a 7:30 PM concert. Tickets to the event go on sale on July 8 at 10 AM.

Violet Bell weaves roots, soul, psychedelic and classical music into a lush, wild soundscape. On stage and in the studio, the North Carolina duo of Lizzy Ross (guitar, banjo, vocals) and Omar Ruiz-Lopez (violin, viola, cello, guitar, mandolin, vocals) share magnetic chemistry. The two have played more than 300 shows from Montreal to Miami in just over two years, honing the fiery intimacy of their live show and building a steadily growing fan base.

Violet Bell cut their debut LP Honey in My Heart with engineer Jason Richmond (Avett Brothers, Steep Canyon Rangers, Nneena Freelon, Dom Flemons, Bombadil). The songs were recorded live in single takes, without isolation, click tracks or vocal tuning. Full of personality, Honey in My Heart feels consistent with the duo’s true selves as opposed to hidden behind studio wizardry.

Violet Bell was an official Americanafest 2018 showcasing artist. Since forming in March 2016, Violet Bell has been presented at venues and festivals such as WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour, The Center for the Study of the American South, Rooster Walk Festival, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, Ocrafolk Festival, the Charleston Bluegrass Festival, the Festival for the Eno, the Beaufort Music Festival, the Burlington Carousel Festival, the Haw River Ballroom, Folk Alliance International, and many more.

Violet Bell has worked with KidzNotes, the Wake Forest Community Youth Orchestra, The Jacksonville Children’s Chorus, the University of Mary Washington’s James Farmer Multicultural Fair, the Savannah Folk Music Society, and others to engage communities of all ages in educational and inspiring workshops.

Violet Bell was born in 2016, when singer-songwriter Ross recruited Ruiz-Lopez as a multi-instrumentalist for a live album recording show… two weeks before the show. Ruiz-Lopez slayed the performance and brought out a new dimension of beauty in the music. Violet Bell released their debut EP Dream the Wheel in 2017 and have been playing ever since.

The Clayton Center welcomes country music torchbearer Marty Stuart as he celebrates the 20th anniversary of his iconic album The Pilgrim. While he’s too gracious to admit it himself, the GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, and musician is living, breathing country music history. Join Marty Stuart as he shares through story and song his remarkable life.

Throughout his career, Stuart has played alongside the masters, from Cash to Lester Flatt; he’s been a worldwide ambassador for Nashville, Bakersfield and points in between; and he’s safeguarded country’s most valuable traditions and physical artifacts, including its literal shoes: Stuart counts the brogan of Carter Family patriarch A.P. Carter and an assortment of Cash’s black boots among his vast collection of memorabilia.

But most importantly, Stuart continues to record and release keenly relevant music — records that honor country’s rich legacy while advancing it into the future. But this year, Stuart is looking to the past for inspiration. Twenty years after its original release, Stuart is breathing new life into his 1999 concept album, The Pilgrim. Hailed by critics as a showcase of Stuart’s incredible songwriting and instrumental skills, The Pilgrim is a tale of a love triangle replete with marital infidelity, soul searching and redemption — all the ingredients for classic country success.

Carol Sloane recorded her first album for Columbia Records in 1961 and began a successful career appearing in the top jazz clubs in America. She made her New York debut opening for Oscar Peterson at the famed Village Vanguard. She was also the opening act for Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Jackie Mason, Phyllis Diller and Bill Cosby in such places as Mr. Kelly’s in Chicago and the “hungry i” in San Francisco.

Sloane’s extensive discography attests to her long association with major recording labels in the U.S. Among the great musicians with whom she has recorded are Art Farmer, Kenny Barron, Phil Woods, Bill Charlap, Frank Wess, Kenny Burrell, Clark Terry, Bill Mays, Houston Person and Tommy Flanagan. She has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and Town Hall and The Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center. She also has toured Japan extensively as part of The Concord Jazz Festival and has appeared around the globe including Canada, the UK, Spain, Brazil, Portugal and The North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands.

Sloane’s New York jazz club engagements include The Village Vanguard and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, The Jazz Standard and Birdland.

Sloane was off the scene for years, but she is back and sounding as wonderful as ever. Her concerts, club performances and master classes continue to be rich, living pathways into the music and stories beautifully shared from a life well sung.

Please note: This is an exclusive engagement of The Clayton Center and is not a part of the Palladian Series. Tickets to this event must be purchased separately.

Join Johnston County native Jonathan Levin and the Clayton Piano Festival in commemorating and celebrating the Town of Clayton’s 150th birthday.

Clayton Piano Festival presents the final performance of its 8th season at The Clayton Center. Hosted by special guest performer, 2019 Miss America Nia Franklin, the program includes multiple performers and genres on piano, voice and strings, interspersed with poetry and short documentary film clips that capture the people and influences in the area. The program will follow a narrative which presents many of the themes of life in Clayton and Johnston County from years past to the present day. A reception is included.

Tickets to this event are $20 for adults and $10 for students 18 and under, plus sales tax & fees.

Note: This is an exclusive engagement of The Clayton Center and is not a part of the Palladian Series. Tickets to this event must be purchased separate from the Palladian Series.

Melinda Doolittle is a soul–stirring songstress. Her flawless vocals, irresistible artistry and effortless style compells her audiences to keep listening.

Tone deaf as a child, Doolittle’s choir teacher would plead with her not to sing, but just silently move her mouth. Undaunted, her love of singing drove her to enter a talent show in the seventh grade where she stunned the audience with her miraculously spot on vocals and beautiful voice. She never looked back!

After graduating with a music degree from Belmont University in Nashville, Doolittle became a highly sought after background vocalist singing for musical icons including Michael McDonald, Aretha Franklin, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Aaron Neville and Jonny Lang.

Doolittle became a household name during season six of American Idol in 2007. Although she came in third in the voting, she was first with Simon Cowell, who called her his “personal favorite.” She became the sweetheart of the season, winning over the hearts of all with her stunning powerhouse vocals and her personal charm.

In 2009, Doolittle released her debut album Coming Back to You, which garnered rave reviews from critics, including The New York Times, which hailed her as one of the most “phenomenally gifted” singers in years. In 2013, she released her sophomore album You’re The Reason. Between her album releases, she penned her book Beyond Me: Finding Your Way to Life’s Next Level. Doolittle was also the well-loved co-host of TV Line’s Reality Check.

Doolittle continues to thrill audiences everywhere from the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame to The White House, from the Copa Room to Carnegie Hall. In addition, she has been a featured guest with the Boston Pops, Charlotte Symphony and United States Air Force Orchestra to name a few, and was a featured performer at the 2015 Boston Pops Fourth of July Spectacular. She is currently headlining her own soulful show Great American Soul Book.

Two recent Palladian Series favorites return to perform in one exciting and entertaining show. Singer-songwriters Susan Werner and David Myles take the stage for an engaging evening of eclectic music.

Celebrated performing songwriter Susan Werner has made a name for herself coast to coast. From her 1995 major label folk/rock debut Last of the Good Straight Girls to her 2007 collection of agnostic gospel hymns The Gospel Truth to her 2017 travelogue An American In Havana, Werner writes ambitious concept albums with subject matter and sounds to match.

Spring 2019 brings a fresh set of songs from Werner, this time a New Orleans inspired piano throwdown titled NOLA. One of the few songwriters to have been featured on legendary Marian McPartland’s NPR Piano Jazz, Werner indulges her considerable piano chops with riffs and grooves reminiscent of Dr. John, James Booker, Professor Longhair and Allen Toussaint.

Meanwhile, Canadian troubadour David Myles’s song and dance mastery keeps getting more and more impressive — 2017’s award-winning, vintage rock ‘n’ roll hip-swiveler Real Love and the spectacular, lush Francophone pop of 2018’s Le grand départ stand testament to that. But Myles is compelled to rush forth toward new challenges and accomplishments.

This past year he released Santa Never Brings Me a Banjo, a children’s book based on his beloved modern holiday classic, and dove back into the world of public radio, broadcasting his smooth baritone over Alberta’s CKUA airwaves on his new show Myles From Home. Not to mention he does it all while adhering to an unrelenting tour schedule that has seen him and comrades Kyle Cunjak (bass) and Alan Jeffries (guitar) grace stages around the world.

Upcoming Events

Billy “Crash” Craddock was born the youngest of 13 children in Greensboro, NC. A good portion of his childhood was spent surrounded by music and love of his family. His father, typical of musicians of his day[...]

Clayton Visual Arts invites you to a free “meet-the-artists” reception from 6-7:30 PM. Exhibits change monthly and feature the work of local artists. Visit Clayton Visual Arts online for information about each artist.

The Clayton Center welcomes country music torchbearer Marty Stuart as he celebrates the 20th anniversary of his iconic album The Pilgrim. While he’s too gracious to admit it himself, the GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, and[...]

Carol Sloane recorded her first album for Columbia Records in 1961 and began a successful career appearing in the top jazz clubs in America. She made her New York debut opening for Oscar Peterson at[...]

Clayton Visual Arts invites you to a free “meet-the-artists” reception from 6-7:30 PM. Exhibits change monthly and feature the work of local artists. Visit Clayton Visual Arts online for information about each artist.